Share the Gift of Faith this Christmas with the Children in Your Life

Edward Looney has a passion for sharing a story of faith. While pursuing his dream of becoming a priest, Edward has authored five books published through Tau Publishing. Four of these books (three adult and one children’s) pertain to the only ecclesiastically approved Marian apparition site in the United States—The Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion, Wisconsin. Recently Edward published his second children’s book, Breakfast in Bethlehem. Today I’m happy to share his thoughts about this newest book with you.

Did you ever envision yourself as a children’s author?

Never! You could say Our Lady was behind it! I was assigned by the Diocese of Green Bay during the summer of 2011 to the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help. The apparition had been approved in December of 2010 and they saw a great increase in pilgrims. They needed someone to help give talks and coordinate summer pilgrimages. In May of 2011, I presented a paper at the Mariological Society of America’s annual conference on the Shrine, so I had done extensive research on the apparition.

During that summer, the shrine bookstore continually received requests for a children’s book. They asked me a few times and each time I declined. One day it happened to be very slow, so they told me to go and begin writing the children’s story about the Shrine. The Story of Sister Adele was born that day! My other books on the Shrine were also a fruit of that summer.

How did you come to write your second children’s book, Breakfast in Bethlehem?

It is really a funny story! A friend of mine, knowing that I had written The Story of Sister Adele called me one morning and told me she woke up with a wonderful title for a children’s book on her mind. She wanted to share it with me because she thought that I should write it. The title, as you can imagine, was Breakfast in Bethlehem. I initially dismissed it, but wrote it down just in case.

I was doing a book signing a few weeks later and met a young boy who was visiting the store with his mother and sister. He was all dressed up in a suit and tie, so I inquired if he had just sung in a Christmas concert. He told me that he had seen Santa that morning. His mother wanted him to tell me what he asked Santa for. His request was a picture of the baby Jesus. His mother continued to prompt him by saying, “And tell him what Santa said.” Santa told him that Jesus was the true reason for Christmas.

Where can readers get your books?

At my website: www.EdwardLooneyBooks.com. There they can order personalized copies and take advantage of my children’s book combo (Breakfast in Bethlehem and softcover Story of Sister Adele for $20. Both hardcovers for $25.00).

Quote of the Day

Spread love everywhere you go: first of all in your own house. Give love to your children, to
your wife or husband, to a next door neighbor... Let no one ever come to you without leaving
better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in
your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.